Thirty years later: the global growth of ITQs and their influence on stock status in marine fisheries

TLDR

Individual transferable quota (ITQ) programmes have been part of marine fisheries management for 30 years, yet their implementation and effectiveness remain debated. This study reviews the global status of ITQ programmes, the motivations for their adoption, and the resulting changes in stock biomass. The authors compile data on ITQ adoption worldwide, examine the reasons for implementation, and assess post‑implementation stock biomass trends. Eighteen countries employ ITQs to manage hundreds of stocks across 249 species, but while 12 of 20 stocks improved, eight declined, showing that ITQs alone do not consistently alter biomass and must be complemented by stronger TACs, enforcement, and ecosystem‑based measures.

Abstract

Abstract Individual transferable quota (ITQ) programmes have been incorporated into many marine fisheries management strategies for 30 years, but their implementation and utility remains controversial. This study provides an overview of the global status of ITQ programmes, the reasons they have been adopted and the changes in stock biomass after their implementation. Eighteen countries currently use ITQs to manage several hundred stocks of at least 249 species. ITQs were adopted in these countries for many reasons: overcapitalization, economic gains, safety concerns for fishers and political change. The implementation of ITQs does not translate into consistent changes in stock biomass. Improvements in 12 of 20 stocks after ITQs were introduced suggest that ITQs can be an effective component of fisheries management strategies, but eight of the stocks continued to decline after ITQs were introduced. This suggests that alternative or complementary measures are needed to sustain those fisheries, such as combining ITQs with more effective total allowable catches, better enforcement and monitoring, and implementing aspects of ecosystem‐based fisheries management.